McHose Irritated By Clean Elections Program

By Max Pizarro

Assemblywoman Alison McHose says the Fair and Clean elections program is a big government, Democratic Party scheme.

"This program uses taxpayers' money to fund political campaigns in New Jersey," McHose writes in a July 6th letter of the program that requires candidates in three legislative districts to collect 800 individual contributions of $10 each in order to be eligible for state funds.

McHose is worried that the program will give Democrats an undeserving leg up in her Republican-dominated 24th district.

"Our tax dollars will be used to subsidize the Democrats," fulminates the GOP Assemblywoman running for re-election on a ticket with Senate candidate Steve Oroho and Assembly candidate Gary Chiusano. "...As your assemblywoman, I opposed this program time and time again but for all practical purposes, we're stuck with it this year."

Four members of the State Assembly  Republicans Bill Baroni and Amy Handlin, and Democrats Linda Greenstein and Louis Greenwald  made up the working group that structured the Fair and Clean Elections program. But McHose is alert to a deeper motivation by Speaker Joseph Roberts and the majority party to wrest control from the GOP in the 24th district.

Writes McHose: "We're the guinea pigs and if we don't participate, the Democrats will just get more of our money."